CHIMÚ culture North 1100 – 1470 AD
Ear ornament [One of a pair of ear ornaments] 1100-1470 AD silver1.7 (d) cm 4.9 cm (diameter) Museo Larco, Cusco Photograph: Daniel Giannoni
These silver objects were made for members of the Chimú elite. Anthropomorphic figures in slightly different guises can be seen on three of these items of jewellery. They all have a similar half-moon headdress, characteristic of this full-frontal man. Apart from his distinctive headdress, this figure has several other common characteristics: he always stands facing the front in a static pose, he wears large ear plugs, and his arms are often stretched out to the side (as seen in all three renditions here). It has been noted that this figure most closely resembles the Huari culture’s Staff God. He is found not only on metalwork but also on Chimú textiles.1
On some ornaments the figures are similar in stance, with legs splayed and raised arms forming the conventional ‘V’ shape. On one nose ornament (cat. 156), he grips either side of the crescent shape on which he stands. This is likely to represent the moon. The Moon Goddess, Si, was an exceptionally powerful deity for the Chimú, and she was thought to control the weather and the growth of crops. Along with these important tasks, she meted out punishment to thieves during the new moon phase.2
On the ear ornaments (cat. 155), the figure's arms and legs terminate in spirals, a pattern that also appears on the top of his headdress. It is mirrored, too, in the peaks of the running scroll that encircles the central designs on both pairs of ear ornaments. Similar figures with spiral hands are also seen on textiles, and can be read as a man morphing into an octopus.3 This figure could be a representation of the Sea God, Ni, who was an important deity, controlling the coastal and river waters.
Fishing was a significant component of life for the Chimú, and is not only represented in images of fishing but also in references to the means by which they caught fish. The intricate metalwork of the silver bracelet (cat. 159) evokes the nets used. The other nose ornament (cat. 157) shows the figure enclosed by a very complex design. Here again, the Chimú affinity with the sea and fishing is represented by the fish the figure holds in each hand. An angular step-type pattern surrounds him, which is flanked on either side by two towers of three stylised spondylus shells, another reference to the sea.
Spondylus shell and other semi-precious stones make up the strands of beads that decorate the bottom edge of the pectoral (cat. 158). At the end of each strand of beads a cone-shaped silver bell has been attached, which would have sounded as the person wearing the item moved. The shape of the neckpiece is particular to the Chimú, and several other similar examples exist in featherwork and also completely constructed from beads.4 Here, 20 pieces of silver sheet have been attached to a cotton backing to make a silvery patchwork effect.
Simeran Maxwell
1. Justo Cáceres Macdeo, Textiles of prehispanic Perú, Lima: Justo Cáceres Macedo 2011, p. 155.
2. Ann Pollard Rowe, Costume and featherwork of the Lords of Chimor: Textiles from Peru’s north coast, Washington D.C.: The Textile Museum 1984, p. 16.
3. James W. Reid, ‘Textiles of the Kingdom of Chimor’, in José Antonio de Lavalle (ed.), Chimú, Lima: Banco de Crédito del Perú en la Cultura 1988, p. 167.
4. John P. O’Neill, ‘Featherwork’, in Pollard Rowe, figs 172 and 185, pp. 167, 173.
These silver objects were made for members of the Chimú elite. Anthropomorphic figures in slightly different guises can be seen on three of these items of jewellery. They all have a similar half-moon headdress, characteristic of this full-frontal man. Apart from his distinctive headdress, this figure has several other common characteristics: he always stands facing the front in a static pose, he wears large ear plugs, and his arms are often stretched out to the side (as seen in all three renditions here). It has been noted that this figure most closely resembles the Huari culture’s Staff God. He is found not only on metalwork but also on Chimú textiles.1
On some ornaments the figures are similar in stance, with legs splayed and raised arms forming the conventional ‘V’ shape. On one nose ornament (cat. 156), he grips either side of the crescent shape on which he stands. This is likely to represent the moon. The Moon Goddess, Si, was an exceptionally powerful deity for the Chimú, and she was thought to control the weather and the growth of crops. Along with these important tasks, she meted out punishment to thieves during the new moon phase.2
On the ear ornaments (cat. 155), the figure's arms and legs terminate in spirals, a pattern that also appears on the top of his headdress. It is mirrored, too, in the peaks of the running scroll that encircles the central designs on both pairs of ear ornaments. Similar figures with spiral hands are also seen on textiles, and can be read as a man morphing into an octopus.3 This figure could be a representation of the Sea God, Ni, who was an important deity, controlling the coastal and river waters.
Fishing was a significant component of life for the Chimú, and is not only represented in images of fishing but also in references to the means by which they caught fish. The intricate metalwork of the silver bracelet (cat. 159) evokes the nets used. The other nose ornament (cat. 157) shows the figure enclosed by a very complex design. Here again, the Chimú affinity with the sea and fishing is represented by the fish the figure holds in each hand. An angular step-type pattern surrounds him, which is flanked on either side by two towers of three stylised spondylus shells, another reference to the sea.
Spondylus shell and other semi-precious stones make up the strands of beads that decorate the bottom edge of the pectoral (cat. 158). At the end of each strand of beads a cone-shaped silver bell has been attached, which would have sounded as the person wearing the item moved. The shape of the neckpiece is particular to the Chimú, and several other similar examples exist in featherwork and also completely constructed from beads.4 Here, 20 pieces of silver sheet have been attached to a cotton backing to make a silvery patchwork effect.
Simeran Maxwell
1. Justo Cáceres Macdeo, Textiles of prehispanic Perú, Lima: Justo Cáceres Macedo 2011, p. 155.
2. Ann Pollard Rowe, Costume and featherwork of the Lords of Chimor: Textiles from Peru’s north coast, Washington D.C.: The Textile Museum 1984, p. 16.
3. James W. Reid, ‘Textiles of the Kingdom of Chimor’, in José Antonio de Lavalle (ed.), Chimú, Lima: Banco de Crédito del Perú en la Cultura 1988, p. 167.
4. John P. O’Neill, ‘Featherwork’, in Pollard Rowe, figs 172 and 185, pp. 167, 173.
These silver objects were made for members of the Chimú elite. Anthropomorphic figures in slightly different guises can be seen on three of these items of jewellery. They all have a similar half-moon headdress, characteristic of this full-frontal man. Apart from his distinctive headdress, this figure has several other common characteristics: he always stands facing the front in a static pose, he wears large ear plugs, and his arms are often stretched out to the side (as seen in all three renditions here). It has been noted that this figure most closely resembles the Huari culture’s Staff God. He is found not only on metalwork but also on Chimú textiles.1
On some ornaments the figures are similar in stance, with legs splayed and raised arms forming the conventional ‘V’ shape. On one nose ornament (cat. 156), he grips either side of the crescent shape on which he stands. This is likely to represent the moon. The Moon Goddess, Si, was an exceptionally powerful deity for the Chimú, and she was thought to control the weather and the growth of crops. Along with these important tasks, she meted out punishment to thieves during the new moon phase.2
On the ear ornaments (cat. 155), the figure's arms and legs terminate in spirals, a pattern that also appears on the top of his headdress. It is mirrored, too, in the peaks of the running scroll that encircles the central designs on both pairs of ear ornaments. Similar figures with spiral hands are also seen on textiles, and can be read as a man morphing into an octopus.3 This figure could be a representation of the Sea God, Ni, who was an important deity, controlling the coastal and river waters.
Fishing was a significant component of life for the Chimú, and is not only represented in images of fishing but also in references to the means by which they caught fish. The intricate metalwork of the silver bracelet (cat. 159) evokes the nets used. The other nose ornament (cat. 157) shows the figure enclosed by a very complex design. Here again, the Chimú affinity with the sea and fishing is represented by the fish the figure holds in each hand. An angular step-type pattern surrounds him, which is flanked on either side by two towers of three stylised spondylus shells, another reference to the sea.
Spondylus shell and other semi-precious stones make up the strands of beads that decorate the bottom edge of the pectoral (cat. 158). At the end of each strand of beads a cone-shaped silver bell has been attached, which would have sounded as the person wearing the item moved. The shape of the neckpiece is particular to the Chimú, and several other similar examples exist in featherwork and also completely constructed from beads.4 Here, 20 pieces of silver sheet have been attached to a cotton backing to make a silvery patchwork effect.
Simeran Maxwell
1. Justo Cáceres Macdeo, Textiles of prehispanic Perú, Lima: Justo Cáceres Macedo 2011, p. 155.
2. Ann Pollard Rowe, Costume and featherwork of the Lords of Chimor: Textiles from Peru’s north coast, Washington D.C.: The Textile Museum 1984, p. 16.
3. James W. Reid, ‘Textiles of the Kingdom of Chimor’, in José Antonio de Lavalle (ed.), Chimú, Lima: Banco de Crédito del Perú en la Cultura 1988, p. 167.
4. John P. O’Neill, ‘Featherwork’, in Pollard Rowe, figs 172 and 185, pp. 167, 173.
